The Vicksburg Gators had nearly every trap and curveball possible thrown at them this week.

They were playing a dreaded sandwich game, between a big win and a rivalry matchup. At the last minute Friday, they shifted game sites because their home field was deemed unplayable.

They hardly avoided all of the pitfalls, but they still managed to get through them with a win.

Joe Johnson threw two touchdown passes to Jeff Scott, the offense rushed for more than 200 yards, and the defense forced four turnovers as the Gators beat Terry 21-6 on Friday night. The teams combined for 26 penalties in a sloppy game that left Vicksburg coach Marcus Rogers as disappointed with the way his team won as he was happy that they won.

“We’re not going to make any excuses about the field and having to move the game. There’s a reason for the way we played. We played like we practiced all week,” Rogers said. “These kids were thinking about Warren Central next week, and that’s my fault. We’ve got to do a better job getting them motivated. We left a lot of points out there.”

If this was the Gators at their worst, though, it was still pretty decent.

Johnson connected with Scott for touchdowns of 27 and 15 yards in the first half to give VHS a 14-0 lead. Marlon Hodge’s 25-yard TD run in the fourth quarter sealed it.

In between, the defense stood tall.

Jomon O’Neal had three sacks and Evan Mobley an interception as Vicksburg carried a shutout deep into the game. It forced three fumbles and Tyreese Wolfe blocked a punt.

“The defense was on the field all night. I applaud the defense,” Rogers said. “We’re just going to continue to hang our hat on the defense and try to score enough points to win.”

Rogers admitted, though, that the Gators will have to play a lot better in every phase next week. Warren Central will come to Memorial Stadium — assuming the turf is repaired enough to play on by then — for the annual River City Classic. It’s a matchup of 2-0 teams with something to prove.

“We’ve got to put together a whole game next week to beat one of the best teams in the state,” Rogers said.